1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a mixture that can be used for the manufacture of building materials such as wall-board and the like and to the composition thereof. More specifically, this invention also relates to the manufacture of wall-board from recovered, waste, essentially cellulosic material. Still more particularly, this invention relates to novel wallboard compositions that are fireproof, vermin free and insulative in nature.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Wall-board, a material of construction and also called "sheetrock", is generally manufactured by the compression of gypsum or other cementitious material between heavy cardboard or paper. This material is conventionally and commonly used in the building trades to form the first layer inside of a building. It may be conventionally installed over standard wooden or metal uprights to form the inside walls of a building, for example. Installation is generally accomplished by nailing the sheetrock to the uprights, or "studs", or by screws or other conventional fastening devices. Finish may the be applied in the form of spackling, or by painting or by the installation of wallpaper on the surface thereof or any combinations thereof. In between the studs, it is conventional to place insulation, especially if the wall is an outside of the building, since sheetrock itself has little or no insulative value. The problem with conventional sheetrock is that it is usually not fireproof and breaks easily during handling and the fastening steps mentioned above. For example, when sheetrock is nailed along the edges, the gypsum crumbles since it is relatively fragile. Thus, the defects caused by this crumbling must be covered prior to the application of finishes thereon. Additionally, as mentioned above, gypsum-type sheetrock has very little insulative value and is not fireproof per se, unless treated according to U.S. Pat. No. 4,886,548, for example or by other procedures as taught therein.
There is also a pressing need to recycle waste materials generated by industrial or household sites. These waste materials are mainly cellulosic in nature coming from paper, paper products and other cellulosic wastes. These wastes make up the bulk of the common waste stream in our society and are generally discarded by land-filling. However, the conventional methods of disposal are no longer acceptable and thus the need to recycle these products into some other useful material.